Apricot Fig Newtons with a Splash of Orange

Fig newtons, my favorite snack! Over the past year, I've been buying my family the organic fig newmans. I love them, however, as I've been on a quest to making more of my own food, I decided to give them a try since I usually buy a pack a week. Sad thing is they only last us a few days before they're gone! I found a recipe and started there but it just wasn't what I was looking for. After a few attempts I came up with my own batter and filling recipe. What I'm pretty excited about is that this recipe is so versatile. Meaning there are many variations I'd still like to try including one of my favorite herbs anise. So here is a recipe I came up with including fresh organic apricots, dried figs, and one of my all time favorite fruits, Oranges!

Ingredients:

For the Dough
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour soaked overnight in 1 cup of homemade or plain yogurt.
1/2 cup pure maple syrup2 tbls butter1/2 tbls orange zest
For the Filling
5 dried figs5 apricots3 tbls honeythe juice of 1/2 an orange
The quickest way for me to do this is to make the filling on the same night that I soak my flour. That way the next day all I need to do is roll out the dough, place the filling, seal and bake. Saves me alot of time!Filling
Peel the apricots. Bring a pot of water to a full rolling boil. Place the apricots in the boiling water for 30 - 40 seconds. If your apricots are ripe their peel should slide right off.


Once the peel has been removed, remove the pit and dice the apricots.In a small pan, heat the apricots and 2 tbls of honey. Heat through until the apricots break down. About 5 minutes.In a food processor blend the figs, apricots, juice of 1/2 of an orange and 1 tbls honey.
Dough:
The next day after soaking, stir in the maple syrup, butter and orange zest. Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.Assembly:
Divide chilled dough into 4 partsAdd unbleached white flour to dough and work space to prevent sticking.
roll out 1 part of the dough into a 10 x 4 inch rectangle, ¼ inch thickSpread ¼ of the filling evenly down the right side (lengthwise) of the rectangle


Fold the dough in half resulting in a 10 x 2 inch barPinch to close


Repeat with 3 remaining parts of dough and fillingTransfer each bar to a parchment lined baking stone; bake at 350° for 25-30 minutesCut bar every 2 inches to form the fig newtonsThey were so delightful with a slight splash of orange! Enjoy!!


*If you havn't already, make sure to sign up for my Wholesome Sweeteners Giveaway which ends this Friday!